All is fair in Love and Business Ventures
by zoenka
Summary: AU Docubus. I wrote this because the scene from the show where Bo asks Lauren "Were you sent here?" won't leave me alone. In this story, Lauren is a researcher at a pharmaceutical lab, with a big contract on the line. Bo is one of the executives in a HealthCare Conglomerate who may have some influence over said contract. Bo/Lauren, Hale/Kenzi
1. Chapter 1

The buzz of the intercom was most unwelcome interruption. Seated in a plush sofa in a well-appointed office, Bo needed a stiff arm to push Dyson away. She threw a wink at a panting man to let him know there was a chance their impromptu make out session could continue if he behaves for the next few minutes, and reached for the still-buzzing device on her desk.

When the intercom was switched on, her assistant's soft tones filled the office through the microphone.

"Miss Dennis, Hale Santiago is on line one. He says it's urgent."

"Put him through" Bo allowed. She walked around the massive mahogany desk and sat in her office chair. Moving the mouse, she brought the computer back to life and quickly scanned the titles of emails that came into her mailbox in the last 10 minutes, since the time Dyson came in to have 'lunch' with her. Not seeing anything that would warrant an urgent call from Hale, she put speculations aside, knowing she'll have the answers in just a few moments - Hale was not a man to beat around the bush.

They've known each other since they were kids, when Hale's father, who owned and operated a medical clinic, met Bo's father, an industrialist who owned ship yards and wanted to provide health care to his workers. Hale's father was looking for financial backers to expand his practice and Bo's father took a chance on a stranger and his handwritten business plan. The two men had hit it off as friends and as business colleagues, and their little venture had grown into a multi-national managed care consortium, serving 10 million people across North America.

Santiagos became frequent guests at the Dennis house, and Bo and Hale, both the only children and only a year apart in age, ended up as weekly playmates. They were as close as siblings, and frequently referred to each other as such, prompting their friends and classmates who didn't know their families to ask which one of them was adopted. Hale would laugh and insist they were biologically related, that he, Hale, was a black Irish - an explanation that would frequently satisfy those not familiar with a term. In fact, it was Bo who was a black Irish, with her black hair and dark brown eyes. Hale was half Cuban, half African American. It became a running gag between two friends and provided for some entertainment over the years.

As college undergrads, both Bo and Hale majored in business, then went on to get MBAs from elite universities. Freshly minted MBAs then went to work for the company their fathers built. But that's where the similarities between two friends ended.

Hale was a very responsible, sensible young man. He was always trying to please his parents, so he hardly ever set a toe over the line. Bo, in contrast, was a wild one - strong willed, independent, and frequently in trouble.

Hale was shy around women and had trouble getting dates on his own. When he did manage to establish a relationship, he was committed, generous with his time and money, attentive and loyal. Unfortunately, he tended to fall for women who didn't appreciate his fine qualities, were after his family money, or where not approved of by his parents. Fortunately, Bo was always there to console her closest friend and to promise to help him again next time he met someone he liked. Bo herself was flirty, confident and assertive when perusing a sexual interest. She dated both men and women, never agreeing to be exclusive with anyone.

No one knew how the two never rubbed off on each other, but they managed to maintain their separate styles and remain the best of friends regardless.

There was a click on the line indicating that the connection was established, and Bo garbled the receiver of her phone to disengage the speakerphone. Not knowing what the call was about or if Hale had someone in his office, she opted for a business greeting.

"Mr. Santiago, good afternoon."

Hale answered and immediately she could tell he wasn't phoning about an issue at work. Her friend sounded a little breathless with excitement.

"Bo, I need my wingman. Can you come to my office right now? Your lackey says your calendar is free for the next 2 hours."

Bo looked up at Dyson who was sprawled on her couch, a smirk on his handsome face as he unabashedly ogled her. She could tell his eyes were dilated with desire even from this distance, and it made her heart beat a little faster in return.

"I have company". She said, though it was mostly to appease Dyson. Hale would know her well enough to see through the words. If Hale needed her, she'd drop the rugged heartthrob watching her from a couch in a jiffy. He was good looking and fit, and a great kisser, but Bo was a firm believer in 'friends first' ideology. If she truly was not available, she's simply say no and not dissemble.

As it turned out, Hale did need her.

"Bo, it's code blue". That was their secret phrase for 'drop your shit, I need you now', and Bo did not hesitate upon hearing it.

"Understood. I'll be in your office in 3 minutes." She hung up the phone and turned to her lunch date. "I'm sorry, there is an emergency at work that I need to deal with right away. Rain check?" She batted her eyelashes and tuned up the sexy vibe in her voice to make sure her date didn't leave disappointed. He was too good a fish to let slip off the hook.

Dyson was eating up the vibes Bo was dishing out, and was reluctant to leave with proverbial blue balls in hand.

"You're so sexy when you get all business-like," he said, trying to charm his way into staying. "Fire the line managers! Double the throughput! Restructure marketing! You know, 'bossy' looks totally hot on you". He tried his own version of batting eyelashes, and it was surprisingly effective. For a man, Dyson had freakishly long eyelashes, and was obviously well aware of the effect they had on Bo.

"Well, then prepare to be scorched," Bo played along for a minute, then made a hand gesture indicating Dyson should get up and he followed her instructions like a good pup. Placing a hand on his upper back, and taking a moment to enjoy the movement of muscles under her hand, Bo walked them both out of her office. Stopping at her assistant's desk, she asked the young man to help escort Dyson down to the lobby, since non-employees were prohibited from wondering around unattended, and she was short on time.

The young man – Mark – agreed eagerly, though it was only partly due to his desire to please his boss. In truth, he had been pretty obvious with his crush on the boss's boyfriend for some time now. Mark's been a fan of Dyson's since the day he first showed up at her office with a box of chocolates, but forgot them on the assistant's desk. Mark thought the gift was for him, and in short order had developed a theory that Dyson was coming to see Bo only as a cover to see him. He didn't share his theory with Bo, but he did confide in a few people, and the rumor has reached Bo within hours. Rumor mill was the only equipment that worked without glitches.

Quickly rising from his desk, Mark ushered the still grumbling Dyson towards the elevator. Bo spared them one last glance – once more noting Dyson's shapely… everything, and her assistant's dapper attire, wondering, not for the first time, how he was able to afford designer clothing that rivaled in price and quality those of his much more affluent boss.

The elevator doors closed with a quiet 'whoosh' and Bo hurried down a long hallway towards her friend's office, leaving all thoughts of the two men behind. Hale had been serving as head for the Division of Procurement for the North-East region, and had a suite of offices for his staff on the same floor as her Operations team. When she entered his office, being waved right through by Jack, Hale's assistant, she found him pacing the length of the carpet and muttering to himself.

He turned to face her as soon as she shut the door to his office to give them some privacy for the upcoming conversation, his sigh of relief at seeing her making her glad she hurried over.

"You want to fill me in?" She asked calmly, projecting confidence that she knew would be infections.

"We are being pitched by a pharma lab - some new wonder pain killer drug they've developed and now want our 10,000 affiliated physicians to peddle to their patients. Standard stuff," he waved his hand to emphasize the routine nature of the pitch. "Kaminsky from R&D and I were supposed to meet with their rep right here in my office, but when reception called and said there were 8 people from this lab here to meet us, I asked Jack to find us a conference room big enough and went down to reception to tell them we'll need a few minutes to get set up."

Bo nodded to indicate she was following so far, and it was all the encouragement Hale needed to finally spill the reason he called her for help.

"I was going to stay with them and then escort them up once I heard from Jack, but then I saw this one girl sitting with them - she sure didn't look like a lab rat, she was so... so..." Hale struggled for right words, but his vast vocabulary failed him in that moment. "I panicked and ran." He finished in a rush, chocking on the words a little.

Well, that wasn't at all atypical of him, Bo thought. But she was sure the situation could be salvaged with little effort.

"Hey, I got your back," she put a comforting hand on Hale's broad shoulder. "Is the room ready now?"

Hale shrugged his broad shoulders, and Bo knew that she wouldn't get much more out of the man until he calmed down. She opened the door and repeated the question to Hale's assistant.

"Yes, Edward Jenner room has been reserved for you," Jack replied crisply. Bo nodded her thanks to the man and turned to her friend who was still taking deep breaths in the middle of his office.

"All right," Bo said, motioning for Hale will follow. "Let's go get them. Give me the usual sign when this girl introduces herself."

Hale followed her mutely to another elevator, and she had a few minutes to wonder what kind of girl caught his eye this time. The few girls he had dated - mostly set up with Bo's help - were of varying types in terms of looks, but generally had a very outgoing personality and projected a lot of confidence.

When they reached the reception area on the first floor where the guests were seated, one woman rose up before the others and approached them. She was strikingly beautiful and exotic, with dark eyes, wavy dark hair, generously wide lips and the cutest dimples Bo's ever seen. She was clad in a form-fitting dress that would not be out of place at a cocktail reception, but was just conservative enough to pass for business-elegant.

The exotic woman took in the sight of the approaching pair. Noting Bo's natural confidence and the fact that Hale, who she met earlier, was hanging well back, she assumed the newcomer was of higher standing than Hale. She extended her hand to Bo with a wide smile. "Hello, I'm Evony Fleurette Marquise, the Founder and CEO of LG Pharmaceuticals. I'm very excited to tell you about our newest drug we call NonNocet. It's going to revolutionize the way we treat pain."

"A pleasure to meet you." Bo answered the greeting in kind. "Bo Dennis, the head of Operations for North-East region at Dall Epsilon Healthcare Consortium."

This Evony had a firm handshake, Bo noted, and a very outgoing personality, but her gut was telling Bo this wasn't Hale's usual fare. There was something inauthentic and disingenuous about her; plus this woman, while very attractive, seemed a bit older than her friend. Still, she waited for the signal, and when none came she was happy to move on.

"You've met Hale already," she said, and when Evony confirmed it with a nod and a toothy smile for her friend, Bo pointed to the rest of the group. "I'm very curious to meet the rest of your team."

"Yes, of course!" Evony answered as if she momentarily forgot she wasn't there alone. Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Sales, Manufacturing Director and head researcher were all women, though each one seemed progressively less likely to be Hale's choice. The head researcher - Lauren Lewis - was so shy, she blushed when greeted by Bo, and looked away almost immediately. The vibe she was getting from the woman told Bo she was more the woman's type than Hale. As if to confirm her suspicions, Hale remained quiet through the introductions. Confused, Bo looked around the room, surmising that Hale was mistaken about his mystery woman being a part of the delegation from LG.

The only other female occupant of the reception room, excluding the receptionist, was a young woman in bandana, heavy eye makeup and Goth outfit, complete with knee-high black leather boots on 5-inch platforms. A motorcycle helmet and a large canvass bag rested at her feet as she sat examining the black polish of her nails and paying everyone else no mind whatsoever.

Walking over the woman, Bo cleared her throat to get her attention. "And you are..?"

"Delivery." The Goth woman pointed at a large, padded envelop sticking out of her bag, then went back to examining her nails.

"For...?" Bo did her best to extract any kind of a name out of the woman.

"Someone else, obviously" the Goth answered curtly.

Well, that was an epic fail... Bo thought as she examined the woman, trying to determine if she should spend any more time on her. The LG people were giving her weird looks, no doubt wondering why she was spending her time quizzing a delivery girl instead of talking to them. Luckily, her dilemma was resolved when Hale took a step forward to stand next to Bo at that moment.

"Hey, Bo, didn't you have a college professor once called 'Delivery-something'?"

Smooth... Bo winced. Well, the girl didn't really give him much to work with. Her embarrassment gave way to curiosity though, and she took a closer look at the woman. A little befuddled, she thought Hale was thinking way outside the box when he laid eyes on this one. Still, now that the girl was identified, she has work to do. But first, she had to get rid of their audience. It also occurred to Bo that, since she spent all that time integrating herself into Hale's meeting with pharma people, now she would likely have to stick around for their presentation.

Sales pitches on drugs were painfully boring, especially for someone who didn't specialize in the medicine side of business. Hale was going to owe her BIG for making her sit through that.

"I had a prof named 'Jack Deliverman', is that who you were thinking of?" Bo said, trying to smooth over Hale's signal. Smartly, Hale just nodded in response, aware that continuing conversation down this path would be disastrous.

Bo was just as happy to move on.

"Hale, why don't you take these people up to the conference room? I think I need to deal with that" she inclined her head in the direction of the Goth woman, "first. Then I'll join you all upstairs."

Hale was on the same wave-link, so he agreed instantly.

"Follow me, folks." He ushered them to the executive elevators making small talk and acting more like his old self, now that he had outsourced setting up a date with the Goth to Bo.

As soon as the group was out of sight, Bo went to the receptionist, knowing the sassy Goth woman will not tell her what she needed to know. Receptionist didn't have her name, just that she worked for a Karimov Brothers messengers company and was waiting to deliver some papers to Director of Claims, who was taking his sweet time getting down to collect them. Bo googled the company and called them, but they refused to name their staff. A call to the Director of Claims was equally as fruitless - the envelop contained divorce papers from the man's wife, so this messenger was hired by her lawyers. Her favorite go-to options exhausted, Bo had one last move to make.

"Call security and police." She instructed the shocked receptionist.

Security arrived half a minute later, and when they approached the reception desk, Bo told them she needed to see the identification of the messenger girl. Being a daughter of one of the founders gave her a lot of clout with the rank and file, so they didn't hesitate to do her bidding.

Predictably, the girl refused to produce identification, calling the security man a few words that sounded like they were in Russian. While they argued, the city cops pulled up and joined the fray. Bo let it go on for a moment, just long enough to get the cops angry with a feisty girl, then took one of them aside and asked him to arrest her on the charge of disorderly conduct.

"You want to press charges?" He confirmed, unhappy with the amount of paperwork this little call would be likely to generate. Bo wanted, so that's exactly what happened. Knowing the cops would need to file paperwork that will include the girls name and address, and provide her with a copy of the report, she let them take her away in cuffs. Moreover, she thought Hale could score mad brownie points if he showed up at the police station about an hour later to drop the charges, or at least bail her out, laying the blame at receptionist for overstepping her bounds. If he had any game, he'd get a dinner date out of it for sure.

She headed up to the conference room fairly confident in her plan, but dreading having to sit thought the sales pitch and the inevitable Q&A - if Hale were to leave, she would need to remain until the end for sure, no escaping the torture early.

When she entered the room, Hale was seated at the head of a long oval table; the group from LG was lined up down one side in order of org hierarchy - with Evony seated at Hale's left arm and Lauren all the way down at the end. Kaminsky was seated at Hale's right arm and looked kind of lonely all by himself, facing eight people across the table.

Bo plastered a gravely concerned expression on her face for their visitors. "I apologize for interrupting, but something had come up and I'm afraid Mr. Santiago needs to leave to personally oversee the situation. I'll take his place, so we wouldn't have to reschedule." She said and beckoned her friend to step out. "Hale, can I see outside for a minute?"

Hale made his own apologies to the group before leaving the room with Bo. Outside, she quickly filled him in and gave him the contact info for the cops and the station, sending him on his way after extracting a promise that he'll let her know how things turn out. Then she took a deep breath and stepped inside the conference room, taking the chair Hale had vacated moments ago.

"I'm really sorry we had a rocky start to your presentation, and also that I'm not as familiar with Division of Procurement operating procedures as Hale obviously is, but I will do my best to hear you out and answer any questions you may have. Won't you begin?" She gestured to Evony to get started.

Evony was an engaging and clear speaker, and Bo was able to sit through a 60 minute presentation without relying on a bucket of coffee and to mostly follow the material presented. When Evony reached the last slide, Bo leaned back in her chair and addressed her colleague from R&D.

"So, Kaminsky, you've had a chance to review some materials on this new drug ahead of the meeting, what are your thoughts?"

"It looks promising on paper, but I think finance and legal have not even started on this yet, and lots will depend on our forecasts for costs – it's going come down to the math, Bo – how much are we willing to spend and over how many years before we see any return on that investment. I'm sure LG's contractual and financial requirements would need to be carefully reviewed and negotiated as well. But the science behind it looks very intriguing."

Bo nodded, liking the cautious approach to the new and untested drug.

"We welcome the opportunity to address any questions or concerns you have." Evony pointed out, her tone smooth and self-assured.

Bo looked back at Kaminsky. This not being her field of expertise, the only semi-intelligent question she thought to ask had to do with FDA approval status, but it was already addressed in the presentation. Kaminsky had not disappointed, however, taping a few keys to bring up a new screen on his iPad where Bo could see a long list of notes.

"Let's begin" He smiled jovially at the row of representatives from LG.

A ping from Hale's iPad that he left behind distracted Bo a few seconds later and she swiped to reactivate the device and see what caused it. The screen indicated she had a new email message, and when she saw it was from Kaminsky, she tapped on it curiously, wondering why he would be sending something to Hale right at that moment. When she opened it, she saw it was a forward of a message that was sent to Hale about an hour before the meeting with LG was to start. Since Hale was no longer in the room, the message was clearly intended for her. Even more curious, she scrolled down, finding a list of about a dozen questions. So, that's how her old buddy was able to look so smart in those meetings, she mused. No wonder, if someone smarter was feeding him questions to ask. Well, she wasn't above using a little help from time to time herself, so she smiled her thanks at her colleague and went to study the questions on her screen, listening with half an ear to the going-ons around her.

She looked up a few minutes later when she realized that every question was being answered by the same person – Lauren Lewis, the tall blonde she shook hands with earlier, when she was looking for the girl Hale was interested in. Bo recalled dismissing her as the object of Hale's interest and quickly moving on, not impressed with a shy, quiet woman. Now, the blonde seemed to sparkle with energy. She was using her hands to illustrate something as she answered Kaminsky's latest question, and although what she was saying had seemed like gibberish to Bo, her colleague looked on at the young woman in utter fascination. Bo turned back to watch the blonde with a new appreciation – Kaminsky was a long-time researcher with an excellent reputation, and his attitude indicated this Lewis woman was a scientist of rare caliber.

Intrigued, Bo took a minute to give the woman a thorough once-over. She had big brown eyes, high cheekbones, shapely lips and a strong chin with a tiny dimple in the middle. Her blonde hair reached a few inches below her shoulders, falling softly over the simple gray pantsuit jacket. She was slim, but Bo's attentive eye caught the way the sleeves would stretch around her upper arms when she moved her hands, indicating a fine muscle tone. She wasn't an exotic beauty (like Evony), but she was definitely attractive in a girl-next-door way. Except when she talked about science – when the passion would radiate from her like a million-watt light bulb, rendering her nothing short of stunning.

A tiny movement just to her left had Bo's gaze shift to Evony, who was studying Bo with a curious twinkle in her eyes. _Busted,_ Bo thought, catching the look. She wondered what Evony would make of the little scene, but quickly put it out of her mind. The pitch and any corresponding decisions would soon be Hale's problem again, she was just a stand-in.

The meeting continued for a little while longer, with Bo adding some of her questions to the mix (or rather – some of the questions Kaminsky had thoughtfully supplied her with). When it was over, she escorted the group back down to reception with assurances that someone from Dall's legal team will be in touch very soon with next steps on contract negotiations.

Bo noted with curiosity that Evony took Lauren aside and exchanged a few words with the blonde before nodding a final goodbye to Bo and Kaminsky and walking out, most of the group trailing right behind her. Except for Lauren, who gave her boss one last uncertain look before heading in the opposite direction, towards Bo.

"Can we speak for a moment?" Lauren addressed Bo, nervously stuffing her hands into pockets of her jacket and once again not holding eye contact for very long, though this time Bo noted the blonde's eyes shifted down to her cleavage whenever she thought Bo wasn't looking.

"Just a second," Bo requested of Lauren, then turned to Kaminsky, thanking her colleague from R&D for his time. "I'll get my notes to Hale", she promised, though she knew Kaminsky will have his own, much more useful debriefing with Hale upon his return from the jailhouse.

Kaminsky nodded and reached out to shake Lauren's hand, though he'd already done in earlier as everyone was saying goodbyes. "Again, a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lewis," he said, obviously meaning every word. Bo turned back to look at the older man, but saw nothing but fatherly affection is his expression.

As soon as they were alone, Bo turned back to Lauren, giving her an encouraging smile.

Lauren was fidgeting with something in her pocket and anxiously biting her lower lip. Bo thought she looked adorable, but she missed the confidant, vibrant woman she observed during Q&A, finding that woman far more attractive.

The blonde must have sensed that Bo's sexual vibe shifted down a few notches, and felt more relaxed. She pulled out a card from her pocket, noting with dismay that it seemed irrevocably bent, thanks to her fidgeting with it earlier. Still, she extended it to Bo, since it was the only one she had.

"You had some interesting questions, and I thought maybe I could give you more detailed answers, if you are interested. Perhaps we could combine it with some dinner?"

Bo took the card, noting the back held a hand-written phone number. She made a show of examining both sides to buy herself some time to think. She was no stranger to come-ons, but this one surprised her. Lauren was interesting enough to garner a positive response, but something in her invitation bothered Bo.

Bo was very good at reading people, especially when it came to gaging their sexual interest, though she had a well-deserved reputation in the office for making astute observations in business settings as well. And Bo simply pegged Lauren for a kind of woman who would be much more comfortable on the receiving side of a pick-up line.

Which led Bo to the inevitable conclusion that the whole scene was a setup, quite possibly orchestrated by Evony. Though for what purpose was a mystery – Bo had nothing to do with negations or contract signings. She also wonder why Lauren would go along with it. Second-guessing herself, she allowed that perhaps Evony had no nefarious intentions whatsoever, acting like a wingman for Lauren. Caught between possibilities, Bo realized that the best way to learn about it would be to accept the invitation.

"Yes, I think that would be lovely. How much longer are you in town for?" She asked the blonde woman quietly waiting for an answer from her.

"Through the weekend." Lauren replied, relieved her invitation was accepted.

Taking the reins of the plans for their date, Bo took down Lauren's hotel and room number, promising to make reservations and pick her up at 7 in the hotel lobby.

Pleased with the arrangement, Lauren thanked her, affirming she looked forward to the meeting. She sounded genuine, further confusing Bo as to whose idea it was to deliver the dinner invitation. If Lauren was sincerely interested and Evony was simply helping a shy colleague with making a move, much as she herself often did for Hale, she'd owe the other woman an apology.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Hale chose that moment to call. Saying a quick goodbye to Lauren and excusing herself to take the call in private, Bo moved towards the elevators and her own office.

Hale sounded frantic, and it took Bo a few moments to understand that jailhouse encounter did not go as well as either of them hoped. Sure, he learned the girl's name – Kenzi, and had her released as soon as the form to drop the charges was signed and filed. But not only was the girl not grateful, she had kicked Hale in the right shin on her way out of the police station, walking so quickly on those ridiculous boots that he didn't even have time to try to ask her out.

Putting her own dinner plans out of her mind for the moment, Bo promised to think of something to create another opportunity for Hale to meet Kenzi soon. Her friend was obviously not deterred by the attitude or the pain – she remembered admiring Kenzi's boots earlier and was pretty sure getting kicked by them would hurt a fair bit.

Running through potential options in her mind, she thought about calling the messenger company and asking them to deliver some documents to Hale. She discarded that idea after remembering that the company had over a dozen messengers working for them, and they would have to get very lucky or send a ton of packages before running into Kenzi again. After a few more of potential ideas went the way of the first one, Bo decided she needed more information about the Goth girl to formulate a good plan.

When she reached her office, she tasked her assistant with making reservations to a popular French restaurant for her date with Lauren, while she dialed a rarely used number from her list of contacts.

The call was picked up on the second ring, a terse "Fitz McCorrigan" as the only greeting.

"Fitz, it's Bo Dennis. I had hired you a while back to do surveillance on a woman who was dating a friend of mine…" Bo said by the way of introductions. Fitz was a bar owner who supplemented his income by doing a little private eye work. Bo thought he would be perfect for the job. With his 'kind grandfather' looks and short statue, he tended to come off as harmless and docile, though in truth he was a tough old salt who was a professional wrestler in his youth. Giving him Kenzi's information and settling on a price, Bo requested a report as soon as it was humanly possible, knowing that her friend would be unbearable until either he was successful at securing a date or permanently shut down by a feisty Goth.

When she was done with the call, her assistant, Mark, buzzed the intercom to let her know the reservation was set up in her name for 7:00 PM, exactly as she requested. Satisfied that her own date plans were set, she returned to work on the projects for her department, giving the work her full attention.

Shutting off her computer promptly at 5 pm, Bo was unhappy that she was leaving a number of tasks unattended – after the two hours she spent in the conference with Hale's pharma people, she had fallen behind on her to-do list for the day, but couldn't stay in the office longer if she wanted to be on time for her dinner date with Lauren Lewis. Gathering her things, she headed down to the garage, climbed into a shiny Mercedes and hurried home to shower and change.

A little under two hours later she pulled up to a hotel where Lauren was staying. Handing over the keys to valet, she entered the lobby and asked the concierge to phone Lauren's room number. The call was not answered, and Bo had a momentary fear of being stood up. But a heart-beat later she spotted Lauren walking towards her from the direction of the hotel bar, and came to meet her half-way.

Lauren was wearing a sleeveless black cocktail dress that ended just above her knees. Her hair was done up, and the pumps on her feet looked more elegant and a lot less practical than the shoes she had on earlier in the day. The only visible jewelry she wore was a pair of hoop earrings and a small pendant on a thin chain of white gold that served to accentuate a long column of her neck.

Bo's first thought at seeing Lauren dressed up for their dinner date was to congratulate herself on scoring a hot date for the night. Her second was to congratulate herself for guessing correctly that Lauren had very nicely toned arms and shoulders, just as she suspected.

She was happy that she took the time to doll-up as well, donning an evening dress and styling her hair into soft curls. Lauren seemed to approve of her look, staring at Bo with open admiration.

"You look lovely, Bo" Lauren said, moving in close to kiss the air just to the side of both cheeks, revealing a European upbringing.

Bo felt her face heat up, wishing that Lauren's skin would brush against hers in those fleeting moments. Not to be outdone, she took Lauren's hands in both of hers, stroking the soft skin with her thumbs. "You look ravishing."

Lauren blushed, inordinately pleased by the complement. She looked down, unable to take the heat emanating from Bo's dark eyes, and found her gaze caught on the sight of their joint hands – hers being held so very gently by the brunette's – and felt faint from the rapid migration of blood southbound. Clearing her throat and gaining a temporary hard-won control over her libido, she removed one hand from Bo's, while shifting the grip on the other to more or less hold hands.

"Shall we?" She prompted, wondering if Bo felt as unsteady as she did.

She examined what few data points she had – Bo's posture and her dry hand in Lauren's sweaty one spoke of confidence that was eluding the blonde woman. Still, the other woman took the time to dress up and make plans for their date, so perhaps she was interested enough to give her a chance, Lauren hoped.

Bo led them out, getting her car from valet in record time. The ride to the restaurant was mostly quiet and, thankfully, short. Bo was once again reminded why she didn't date introverts – she was the type who liked to draw energy from others around her, and introverts just didn't give off energy, not without some cajoling. Luckily, the French restaurant where they were going had an excellent collection of wines, and Bo had every intention of getting Lauren at least tipsy, to see if she'd loosen up.

The first glass of red that arrived ahead of their appetizers was proving well worth the money when, after several appreciative sips (it really was an excellent Merlot), Lauren abruptly abandoned the mostly one-sided conversation about decor of the restaurant with a giddy "Do you want to hear a joke?"

"Sure!" Bo agreed readily, delightful that the sparkle was back in Lauren's eyes. She briefly wondered if the joke would be nerdy, like the woman seated across from her, or something more generic.

Lauren wiggled in her chair to get as close to Bo as she could with a dining table between them. She visibly, and with some effort, schooled her features before asking "Why can't an atheist solve exponential equations?" with a straight face.

Bo gave herself an internal high-five. Yep, nerdy as they come. "I don't know, why?" she played along.

"Because they don't believe in higher powers!" Lauren exclaimed.

Bo chuckled. "That's funny." She was suddenly glad that she spent a few minutes googling nerd jokes and memorized the only one that made sense to her. "I have one for you as well." When Lauren nodded eagerly, she made sure to deliver it with the same straight face Lauren used. "A group of protesters gathered in front of the physics lab, waving signs and shouting 'What do we want? Time travel! When do we want it? Irrelevant!'" She punctuated each statement with a fist pump, much to Lauren's delight.

Lauren laughed. She had a beautiful laugh – heady and vibrant, and imminently contagious. Bo chuckled as well, pleased to once again see the animated side of the woman seated across from her. The silly jokes and the wine had succeeded in cutting the tension from earlier, and the rest of the dinner conversation flowed less awkwardly.

They talked of many things – embarrassing childhood exploits, favorite travel destinations, hobbies and food phobias. Lauren admitted that she avoided processed foods, knowing too much about various chemical compounds that went into making and preserving them. Bo confessed to an intense dislike of avocado and anything that uses it as an ingredient. She shuddered when she described a catered business meeting she attended in California, and how every dish - from the salad to desert - has incorporated the despised fruit.

They didn't talk about work or their earlier meeting until their desert – apple tart (no avocado lurking between the apple slices – Lauren checked for Bo, just to be sure) – was placed with a flourish between them.

"Bo," Lauren started, furtively, "how much influence do you have over contract negotiations with our lab?"

Bo speared an apple slice, thinking over the question, wondering what had prompted it and how honest she should be in her response. In truth, she had none, but did she want Lauren to know that? R&D lab rats would sign off on the science, Finance would work out the compensation and performance terms and Legal would sign off on trademarks, service levels and compliance. Then a final check by Procurement to make sure everyone did their due diligence. And a signature by one Hale Santiago.

Finally, she looked up at her dinner companion, deciding that if Lauren had an ulterior motif for this date, she didn't want to have anything to do with the woman. "None." She answered truthfully. "Which is why I accepted your invitation – no conflict of interest."

"OK. Good." Lauren said contentedly, seemingly considering the topic closed.

Bo was just as glad to move on as well. Spearing another slice of apple she made a show of looking at it carefully. "You know," she said gravely, "I think this is, possibly, the best apple tart outside of Paris."

Lauren gave the statement and the apple tart their due consideration as well. "I don't think I've ever had an apple tart in France. Perhaps I made a grave mistake in judgment when choosing my deserts there."

"What were you choosing?" Bo asked, genuinely curious.

"Madeleines and macaroons. I gained 10 pounds on that trip, at least 8 of which can be directly attributed to my insatiable appetite for those dreaded little pastries."

"I sympathize," Bo smiled at her dinner companion. "What were you doing in France?"

"I went a couple of times during school breaks. I was studying medicine at Cambridge, so France was a convenient destination for a short trip."

Bo was chowing on a piece of pastry, and chose that movement to remove a few crumbs off her lips with quick swipe of her tongue. Lauren lost her train of thought, and mumbled the first thing that came to mind.

"Did you know that stethoscope was invented in France, by a French physician? He was examining a young woman who had a heart condition. To diagnose her, he was required to place his ear against her chest to listen for rhythm of her heart... She was quite beautiful, and he was instantly smitten… He realized he couldn't concentrate on the sounds of her heart this close to her bosom, so he improvised – he rolled a sheet of paper into a cylinder and pressed one end against her chest, and was surprised that doing so allowed him to hear the heart better than he'd ever heard it before, with just his ear."

"So, Dr. Lewis, do you often find yourself having to choose between professional and pleasurable?" Bo flirted, leaning closer to the blonde woman and bringing more of her own bosom into view.

Lauren didn't answer. Bo suspect she hadn't even herd the question, nor seen her lips move. Her 'girls' were definitely a hit with a blonde, though. Bo chuckled, and it broke the intense stare from the other woman, who blushed from the roots of her blonde hair down to her own chest.

The waiter came in with their check just then, and they left quickly after paying. Bo had drove Lauren to her hotel, tacking even less time on the way back. They were mostly quite on the ride over, but the tension between them was palpable in the close confines of the car. Once they were walking once again in the Hotel lobby, Bo was surprised when Lauren took her hand and stopped them both.

"I had a lovely evening, Bo," she said, looking deep into the brunette's eyes.

"As had I," Bo replied, slightly confused why they would be having this conversation in the lobby. She had hoped Lauren would invite her up to her room.

It seemed Lauren had other ideas, though. She leaned in once more, this time softly kissing Bo on the cheek, and stealing another long glance down Bo's cleavage in the process, which had not gone unnoticed by the other woman.

Bo was used appreciative stares – she had a killer body and never tried to hide her better attributes. Most of the time she felt indifferent to the implied compliment – after all, things that come easily don't feel monumental, the way things you had to fight for did. And despite an obvious attraction, Lauren was not playing easy. Considering what she learned of the other woman, Bo didn't think she was playing hard to get – Lauren wasn't the type for such games. She was also not the type of person who would be enticed into a meaningless affair, much less a one-night stand, obvious physical attraction be damned.

Later at home, safely tucked into her own bed, Bo was still thinking about the other woman and their parting kiss. Damn, but the woman got under her skin. Across town, Lauren lay equally awake, remembering twinkling brown eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Morning came too soon, and Bo rolled out of the bed feeling groggy and sluggish. _Best to put blonde, leggy, nerdy scientists out of your mind_ , she told herself. _We have nothing in common, and…_ she looked in the bathroom mirror, noting her bedraggled appearance, _I don't really need a reason_. Catching a glance of the clock, she hurried into the shower stall.

At quarter to 8 she walked passed her assistant's desk into her office. Not as early as she hopped to get in, but everything seemed to be taking extra-long time this morning. She took a sip from her coffee cup, noting that a Grande container was already nearly drained and debated if she should drink any more on an empty stomach.

Her assistant trailed into her office after her, a tablet in hand.

"There are several urgent emails that require your attention right away, I flagged them for you. Also, your 11:30 AM meeting with Director of Technology has been rescheduled for 3 this afternoon – they were running a patch on the system during off hours and something went wrong. They are still troubleshooting, and Director wanted to stay around until they are in the clear, so he asked to reschedule for this afternoon." Mark reported crisply.

"Sure, that's fine. Anything else?"

Before her assistant could answer, her cell phone rang, and she looked at display, surprised to see a call from Fitz. She answered the call, but addressed her assistant before greeting her PI.

"Mark, I need to take this, I'll let you know when I'm through."

Her assistant nodded and left the office, closing the door behind him.

"Fitz, I must say you exceeded my expectations if you have a report so quickly." She said into the phone.

The older man tsked at his client's impatience. "Not a full report yet, but I came across something that was time-sensitive."

"I'm listening." Bo opened a blank message window on her screen, ready to take notes.

"The young lady you had me look into is going to a concert tonight. It's at some seedy club called 'The Sewer Crocodile', in the downtown district."

"Never heard of it," Bo said after searching her memory and making a note in a message with a club name.

"I'm not surprised. Are you interested in the details?"

"Yes, of course." Bo confirmed, eager. "Can you score me some tickets?"

"Sure, how many? If you do decide to go, bring a buddy with you. This place gets a little wild." Fitz advised.

Bo thought about it for a second. Then decided that she wouldn't let Hale go into a place where he'll be a fish out of water all by himself. "Three. Can you manage it?"

"No problem, I'll messenger them over this afternoon." The older man assured her. "The doors open at 9, show starts at 10. Some grunge band called 'Full Metal Jacket'. Saw her buy the tickets last night off of some teenager in ripped jeans and a tie dye shirt. Thought we got done with that silliness in the 90s."

"Got it," Bo said, deciding not to comment on the clothing. If Hale ever brought this girl home to meet his parents, they would flip. But that wouldn't be her problem. "Anything on the girl herself?"

"Just the prelims. She's 22, born in Canada, but her parents are both immigrants from a former soviet bloc; still running down the details. She doesn't own anything of value. Her mail gets delivered to a mailbox, so I think she shares or sublets an apartment. She graduated high school 4 years ago and had a few odd jobs since then. She probably pays for everything with cash, because she has no credit history whatsoever, and no bank accounts that are in her name, but I'm still checking on that too – I think she went by a different last name at some point." Fitz reported.

"God, I hope she's not some kind of a Russian spy." Bo lamented.

"If she is, she's not hiding it very well." Fitz assured her. "The messenger business is run by two brothers who are some distant cousins of hers, and they don't do anything to hide their Russian origin."

"So they are more like a Russian mafia than Russian spies. Fantastic." Bo grumbled. "Thanks, Fitz. Call me when you have more." She said, closing the connection.

She called Mark back into her office and spent the next two hours resolving work issues that demanded her attention. When all the pressing tasks were done, she sent a quick note to Hale to let him know he now had plans for tonight, and provided some suggestions for what he should be wearing. The only thing left to decide was who'll be her date for the evening.

Dyson, who was a cop, and a big, burly guy, would be the best choice for a place that can get rowdy, but the idea was making her stomach churn unpleasantly for some reason. Last time she felt this icky was when she took a bite from a poison mushroom on a dare from a schoolmate. It was as if she developed an allergy to him overnight, and what seemed sexy and charming 24 hours ago, now appeared ham-fisted and greasy. Of course, it was also possible that any queasiness she experienced was due to all the coffee she drank on the empty stomach that morning.

The worst choice for this outing would be Lauren. The woman was a self-admitted pacifist, who, despite a fairly justified arachnophobia (she had worked in parts of the world where itsy-bitsy spiders where deathly poisonous), would carefully remove any bugs she found in her home and carry them outside posthaste – because if she didn't do it fast, she'd pass out from hyperventilating. Yet, when she thought about walking into the club with Lauren, her gut stayed calm.

 _Well, thank god I never limited my choices_ , she thought morosely, and proceeded to call a number of past lovers and current acquaintances. Half an hour later, she slammed the phone down. Sure it was a short notice, but Bo couldn't believe that none of the people she called would give her a firm Yes for the evening. Grinding her teeth, she dialed the one number she was hoping to avoid calling. Cruel fate arranged for Dyson to be absolutely free this evening, and of course he would be happy to go with his girl to a dorky grunge concert.

Bo was no one's girl, but neither did she want to worry about her own back while watching Hale's. Getting a firm grip on her feelings, and punching herself in the stomach for good measure, she made arrangements to meet Dyson at her place and head over to the club together. They would meet Hale at the Crocodile at 9 and send him inside, then stay and wait for Kenzi to show up before following her in and setting up some kind of a scene that would allow her to notice Hale.

When she ended that call, she sat staring out her window for a few minutes. Then she dialed another number, wondering all the while if she was making a mistake.

"Dr Lewis." The blonde answered the phone. She sounded a bit distracted, and Bo wondered if she looked at the caller ID before picking up.

"Lauren, it's Bo."

"Oh! Bo! Hi. Yes. What?" Lauren babbled excitedly, if a bit inarticulately.

"Did I interrupt something?" Bo asked, chuckling.

"I am on a Skype call with my lab assistants. There are several projects that are ongoing, and I wanted to get progress notes and…" Lauren stopped herself midsentence, knowing she was oversharing. She looked at her computer screen and saw her coworkers staring at her with open disbelief. Dr. Lauren Lewis did not babble. Agitated, she quickly muted her end of the connection with the lab. "They can wait a few minutes, I can talk." She said into receiver.

"I was wondering, do you have any plans for lunch?" Bo enquired, a little nervous herself now.

"I was going to get room service," Lauren admitted. She was going to work through lunch too, but she kept that bit to herself.

"I was thinking, there is a beautiful park just minutes from my office, and there are many vendor carts with all kinds of food… Would you like to meet me for lunch and a short walk in the park?" It sounded terribly corny to her own ears, but Lauren would be leaving town soon, so what would be the harm in one more meeting? Also, the park was one of her favorite hangouts, both because of the abundance of street food choices and because it was her favorite place to go running.

The blonde readily agreed and they quickly made plans. When Bo disconnected a few minutes later, she felt more awake and energized than she had all morning. With this newfound vigor, she plunged back into work, checking the time and counting the minutes until lunch only sporadically.

Arriving at the pre-agreed upon location in the park with some time to spare, Lauren looked around curiously. Wide expanse of green lawns were framed by rows of trees; picnicking families and impromptu soccer matchups splattered a plethora of colors against a green backdrop. A lake shimmered in a distance, several old-fashioned row boats languidly crisscrossing its surface. Couples sat cuddling on the park benches here and there, while runners, bikers, roller-skaters and men and women pushing baby strollers moved past her. It was a busy and beautiful place, and Lauren wondered briefly if Bo used the park as a running venue or as a rendezvous point.

She had spent some time googling the brunette before their dinner date the day before, and was surprised to find her on number of social networking sites, most sporting pictures of Bo with various dates at trendy establishments around town. None of the pictures were scandalous or overly revealing, but Lauren couldn't help to note how many different faces – male and female –flickered by as she scrolled.

When Lauren saw Bo walk into the Dal reception area where she waited with her colleagues from LG, she was immediately drawn to the raven-haired beauty – her quiet confidence, grace and charisma were evident in every gesture. She watched Bo charm her team with simple introductions, then step in smoothly to replace a coworker who was called away, and conduct the meeting she was not prepared for with poise and acumen. Unlike Evony, who immediately grasped Bo's parentage and her standing in the company, Lauren remained ignorant to Bo's status until after she secured a dinner date with Evony's help.

Her boss has approached her as they were getting ready to leave, and told her she saw Bo showing a notable interest in the young scientist, and asked if Lauren would like to see the woman socially. Lauren confirmed her own interest and listened raptly as Evony told her what to say. Lauren's elation at Bo's acceptance was palpable, but it transformed into confusion and uncertainty as she learned more about the woman from the various websites that mentioned her. Could a woman like Bo be interested in Lauren? Could Lauren ever hope to hold Bo's attention long enough to get through dinner? Did they have anything in common?

Lauren was not terribly socially awkward, but she found it difficult to connect with many people, and tended to date within her circle of colleagues. Bo was clearly NOT like any of the scientists she worked with, so Lauren did the only thing she knew when encountering an unknown – she researched and analyzed. Still, she was ill-prepared for the evening, she realized as she saw Bo stride into the hotel lobby looking for her. The woman was a vision, even more beautiful and charming than the first time they met. The brunette was attentive, kind and gentle, and when she answered Lauren's impromptu joke with her own, clearly prepared in advance with Lauren's interests in mind, Lauren just about melted in her seat.

The only time Lauren was reminded of the persona she gleaned from Bo's internet presence was later that evening, when they were back in the hotel lobby after superb and enjoyable dinner, and Bo was intimating Lauren should invite her up to her room, no doubt to continue their evening in the comforts of Lauren's king-sized bed. Lauren's concerns from earlier had returned full force and she dejectedly declined, thinking that brunette would lose interest in her once she turned down the sexual advance. So when Bo called the next morning and asked her out to lunch, sounding much like she had during dinner – sweet and kind – Lauren said yes immediately. And now here she stood, wondering if she made a mistake or if she should forget her worries and just enjoy Bo's company for as long as she was allowed to.

The brunette arrived minutes later, coming into view exactly at the appointed time. She was wearing another well-tailored business suit, and Lauren was glad she dressed similarly, though she was only out to lunch and would be returning to her hotel suite afterwards. Dressing for the occasion was not a sense she possessed innately, but she did her best to copy others whenever possible. That was actually the original reason she perused the photographs of Bo at social outings – she wanted to know how the brunette would likely dress in order to dress appropriately herself.

When the two women reached each other, Bo hugged her and kissed her on the cheek, solving Lauren's dilemma as to how to greet the other woman, then took her hand and enthusiastically pulled the blonde towards a row of street vendors, claiming to be famished. Only when they were examining the third cart, deciding if they were in the mood for gyros, Lauren realized that Bo was not letting go of her hand as they moved from vendor to vendor. She squeezed the fingers intertlaced with her own, and brunette had turned to look at her - eyebrow raised in question.

Lauren remained silent, having no idea how to formulate the questions running through her mind, so Bo stepped closer to the blonde woman. "I'm really happy you could meet me here." Bo said sincerely, a wide smile stretching her lips and making her cheeks dimple. "This park is one of my favorite places in the city."

"I'm glad you invited me. I can't remember the last time I had street food, and this place is really great." Lauren said in response, deciding after all that knowing the reason behind the hand holding was less important than the act itself.

They finally settled on their choices – Bo with a polish dog and a pretzel, Lauren with a lamb gyro and a bag of roasted peanuts. They found an empty bench, recently vacated by an older couple who was feeding the birds until they ran out of bread. Bo shooed the birds, making it clear she intended all the food for herself, and they settled in, a modest two inches of space between them.

"So you come here to eat?" Lauren asked after a little while, giving Bo a chance to get some food in before starting a conversation.

"Sometimes." Bo admitted. "Mostly I come here to run, and sometimes to watch the movies. They do 'Movies in the Park' during the summer on Friday nights."

"Movies in the Park?" Lauren repeated, not familiar with a concept.

"Yes, there is a small amphitheater on the other side of the park – just a stage and back wall. The wall is painted white and they use it and a projector to show movies after sunset. Most people bring their own lawn chairs or picnic blankets. It's really quite an experience."

"Oh," Lauren smiled in wonderment. "That's very interesting. Have they started already this year?"

"Yes," Bo answered, charmed by the blonde's enthusiasm. "They started last week. Would you like to come with me tomorrow? They are showing 'Rocky Horror' this week. I've seen it a million times, but it's a special experience to see it in the open air with a bunch of Rocky enthusiasts."

Lauren looked aghast. "A horror movie? After dark, in the open park? I can just imagine how shadows and tree roots would add an element of excitement to the movie. But I'm not a big fan of horror movies, especially the ones with a lot of blood and gore."

Bo laughed at her companion. "You know, I remember they showed Hitchcock's 'Birds' here once and I totally shrieked when a crow flew by at some point that night. But no, 'Rocky Horror' is not a horror movie – it's a musical comedy. Have you never seen it?"

Lauren shook her head no, making a mental note to look up the movie when she got to the hotel after lunch.

"You'll love it." Bo assured the blonde. "Meet me here tomorrow at 7? We can get a quick bite to eat, and it's early enough that we can snag a good spot to watch a movie from." She lowered her head and looked up at Lauren from beneath her thick eyelashes. The pleading look was funny and adorable at the same time, and Lauren nodded in acceptance, utterly charmed. Even if she had reservations about seeing a movie in a park, she couldn't say no to a look like that.

"It's settled then," Satisfied, Bo leaned back on the bench. Balling her paper napkins, she tossed the clump at the trash can that was a few yards away, missing it by a good four feet, but hitting a small dog on the head as it passed them, dragging a little girl by the leash. The dog yelped in instant indignation, then sniffed at the loose ball that smelled like sausage. Bo stepped up and grabbed the small bundle before the dog decided to eat it, also taking Lauren's trash from her and walking it over to the trash can.

When she sat back down, she leaned back, arms and shoulders bent over the back of the bench, face turned up towards the afternoon sun, and took in a deep breath of sweet smelling air, content with herself and the world. Lauren watched the other woman, trailing her eyes over her face admiringly, soft smile on her pale lips.

All too soon Bo had to return to work, and the blonde had walked her to her office building, leaning in and kissing Bo on the cheek, mirroring Bo's gesture from earlier today. They parted after reconfirming their plans for the next evening, Bo going up to her office, Lauren heading back to her hotel.

Bo was still thinking about the other woman and their plans for Friday night when she stepped out of her bedroom several hours later, wearing a pair of comfortable jeans and an old Led Zeppelin t-shirt. _These grunge kids have no idea what great music is_ , she decided.

Dyson, lounging on her couch (what was it with this guy and couches?), smiled when she came out. He was similarly dressed in blue jeans and a tight black t-shirt, both outlining his muscular frame quite nicely.

"You know, it's the most dressed-down I've ever seen you." He commented when she sat down on the ottoman in the foyer, wrestling a pair of fashionable, but still very comfortable black knee-length boots onto her feet.

"Hmm, only because you and I have never gone undercover to a grunge club." Bo replied.

"True. Though you and I had done 'under cover' before." He used his hands to add quote marks around the words. "But I suppose in those times you were more 'undressed' than 'dressed-down'." He continued cheekily.

"Ha-ha." Bo rolled her eyes at the bearded man. "You are a funny man, but I think you should stick with your day job." She grabbed her purse off the end table and nodded towards the door. "Come on, I want to get there before anyone else, so we don't miss Kenzi walking in." She led him outside where the doorman hailed them a cab in seconds. "So, remember," she told him as the taxi sped away towards the club, "When we see Kenzi, we follow her inside, but we must be careful she doesn't see me – it would ruin everything if she recognized me. When we're inside, we'll need to improvise to help Hale get noticed by her."

"And then?" Dyson leaned towards Bo until they were touching from boots to sleeves.

"Hale will have to take care of the rest. I just provide the opportunity, he's going to have to fly solo with this one, unless you want to be his wingman. The girl and I have a bit of history, I won't be able to help him with this one." Bo confessed.

"Solo it is!" Dyson agreed. At Bo's questioning look, he winked at her. "I have big plans for tonight, and none of them involve Hale and a crazy Russian chick."

Bo scowled at the man, but did not comment. She did move slightly to create some distance between them, privately thinking that this man and his panting, ham-fisted attentions will need to find another target tonight if he wanted to get lucky. She no longer found him appealing in the least.

When they climbed out of the taxi, Bo took a look around. They were in the industrial part of town where businesses closed at 6:00 pm, so most everything else did too. They walked down a piss-smelling alley until they saw a metal door that led to the club. They produced their tickets and got wrist stamps in return, which would allow them to come in and out of the club at their leisure. They stepped inside for a minute, just to take a look around. The place was a dive. Food wrappings, gum, cigarette buts and bottle caps were littering the floor that was probably only swept on the fifth Tuesday every other month. Cables, some with stripped or fraying insulation, ran the length of the stage, with a few more hanging from the ceiling like garlands. It was just as well that they were there for something other than a date, Bo decided. She looked at a few patrons already mulling around to making sure Kenzi wasn't among them, then pulled Dyson outside where they could observe everyone going in.

Hale's taxi dropped him off just as they were re-entering the alley. The trio conferred briefly, then Hale went inside while Bo and Dyson tried to find the least offensive-smelling shadowed spot from which to watch the entrance. Hale would text Bo periodically, mostly to complain about the quality of the drinks and about the quality of the DJ who was keeping the crowds entertained until the band went on stage. Mostly, though, he wanted to know if they'd spotted Kenzi yet. Bo tried her best to keep her cool through all of this, but between Hale's complains and Dyson's not so subtle attempts to start something right there in this foul-smelling alley, she was drawing on her last reserves.

At 10:20 Hale texted her to say the band was on stage and the concert was getting started, and still there was no sign of Kenzi. By then Bo and Dyson had moved to stand under the brightest streetlight, since it was the only spot where they can remain for more than a few minutes without gagging.

Finally, about 20 minutes later, they saw her sprinting down the street, trying to run on 4-inch platform boots, and doing a good job, considering. Quickly sending off a message to Hale that they were on the way in, Bo pulled Dyson into a kiss meant to conceal her from the view just as Kenzi approached the pair.

Even though they were supposed to following right behind Kenzi, Dyson took that opportunity to grab her ass. Bo marveled at how anyone could try to put the moves on another in such a vile, smelly place. She stepped away giving her a date an unambiguously reproachful look. "I think it's my duty to alert your partner to cover his ass next time you two are on a stakeout together."

Dyson cringed, imagining the scenario. "Tamsin would claw through my chest and rip my heart out bare-handed if I tried that on her. That chick has serious anger-management issues." He grumbled, hurrying after Bo who was showing her wrist stamp to the bouncer and walking into the club just a few steps behind Kenzi.

The club was packed when they re-entered it. Dyson took the lead on pushing through the crowd right on Kenzi's heals – at 6'5" he towered over most people, having little trouble parting the masses. His height also made it easy for Hale to spot them and for Bo to hide behind him.

Kenzi finally ended her forward progress when she was in the front row, squeezing through the last few rows with more ease than Dyson, who was starting to get heckled for moving to the front and blocking the view of anyone unfortunate enough to be behind him. Hale was still trying to reach them, having a hardest time of all, since his refined manner didn't allow him to simply force his way through. He would stop and very politely, albeit at the top of his lungs to be heard above the music, ask each person in his way if they would graciously trade places with him.

Bo rolled her eyes. It was one part of the plan she failed to account for. Resigned to wait until Hale could reach them, she found herself enjoying the boisterous atmosphere and the music, swaying in time with the tempo. A few people where crowd-surfing, and Bo watched them with a bit of envy, right up until the crowd heaved one of them onto the stage, head first. The unfortunate man had crashed into the percussions with all the force of a bowling ball.

That's when it happened. Bo would later speculate that one of the instruments must have snagged on a wire, either ripping it or contacting it with another wire, because suddenly all the lights went out in the club, along with most of the music – why the lead guitarist continued to strum the pick across the strings of his powered-off electric guitar was a complete mystery.

The crowd erupted in jeers, though it was impossible to tell what exactly they demanded. Just then Hale came up to stand next to Kenzi, and was immediately occupied by trying to make sure the tiny girl was not trampled on by surging masses around them, as some took this opportunity to climb onto the stage. The band had fled, grabbing as many of their instruments as they could carry, and Bo motioned to Dyson that they should make for the exist in all haste.

Unfortunately, they were as far from the exit as they could get, but as the crowd surged forward, the back of the club thinned out considerably. Bo was waiting for a right movement to move when she watched – first in dismay, then in amusement – as Hale, after taking another elbow in the back from someone who was trying to reach the stage – an elbow that may have landed in the vicinity of Kenzi's head if he hadn't intercepted it, picked the girl up and slung her over the shoulder in fireman-carry style before swiftly moving toward the emergency exit sign.

Dyson obviously got a similar idea, but knew better than blatantly toss Bo over his shoulder. Instead, he put her in a loose bear hug, linking his arms with hers and lifting her a few inches off the ground, before following Hale out. He let her go completely when they were through the mass of people, and together they ran into the alley just behind Hale. There were others in the backstreet with them, though this crowed was mostly calm as they headed back to their cars and homes.

Hale, however, was probably still in his overprotective mode, because he didn't let go of Kenzi even after they exited the club, and was now starting to gather attention from people mulling about for all the wrong reasons, since the woman he was holding was kicking and punching and screaming at him to let her go. Bo snapped her fingers right in front of her friend's nose, noting the glassed over look in his eyes. When that didn't help, she shaped him and yelled "Snap out of it!" in a classic Cher move. That apparently got through, and Hale set the woman down.

Once back on the ground, the Kenzi kicked Hale in the shin, making him double over in pain, then ran in direction she came from, not looking back.

"Damn those boots of hers," Hale groaned through clenched teeth, lifting his pant leg to examine a very red and angry mark left by the well-placed kick.

"Cause there is a line between being a saving hero and being a psycho." Bo informed her friend.

"And you're going to help me find it?" Hale asked testily.

"Look behind you," Bo smirked.

Hale hung his head, realizing that he may have overstepped his bounds, considering… Dyson slapped the other man on the shoulder in quiet solidarity. That's when the three of them noticed that something was tangled around Hale's shoulder that didn't belong there. It was a small purse that Kenzi obviously left behind in her haste to escape. Dyson opened it and all three looked curiously inside.

Like most women, Kenzi carried an odd collection of items in her purse – mascara, eyeliner, lipstick, compact with a mirror, tweezers, nail file, bandana, two pens, folded up leaflet, gum, pepper spray, tampon, hand lotion, headphones, floss, Q-tips, travel case of Kleenex, several pins, wallet, phone and 1.73 in loose change. The wallet had Kenzi's ID, the address listed obviously not updated recently, as it placed her hundreds of miles away, and a few bills.

"This gives you a perfect excuse to see her again." Bo told her friend, "If you still want to?"

Hale nodded, unconsciously putting a hand over his heart. "She's the girl of my dreams, Bo. I love her spirit, I love her style, I love her attitude. I even love her crazy and her platform boots."

"I admire your persistence, my dear Don Quixote." Bo admitted. "Though you may consider wearing shin guards for your next meeting with the woman of your dreams."

Hale nodded, still rubbing at the sore spot. "Thanks, Bo."

Bo turned to her date for the evening, thinking this was the perfect opportunity to drop the man. "Dyson, thank you for being my hero tonight." She put a hand on his chest and patted, "but I think Hale needs a shoulder to cry on and an icepack. I should take him home." Hale looked for a second like he was going to protest needing a shoulder, but one look at Bo told him to shut up and nod.

Dyson gave her a gentle smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes and put dimples in his cheeks. "Call me." He hugged Bo in parting, fist-bumped Hale and walked down the alley to hail a cab.

"Time to go, big guy." Bo leaned into Hale and he put an arm over her shoulder as he always had.

"It _has_ been an eventful evening." Hale scratched his eyebrow, bewildered how things have gone so mad in no time flat.

Bo relieved Hale of Kenzi's purse and twirled it in her hand as they walked toward the street. "I'll call Fritz and see if he can meet us at your place, I want him to take a look at Kenzi's phone before you return it. Be a dear and get us a cab."

Hale wasn't about to question his friend's moves. He saw a passing cab and let out a shrill whistle that made quite a few passersby stop and stare. It also got the cabby's attention, and he swung around stopping in front of the pair.

"Your chariot, my queen." Hale opened the door for his friend and gestured for her to precede him.

Fritz was already in the lobby of Hale's building when they arrived. He looked at Hale's disheveled appearance and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Tough nigh?"

"You have no idea." Bo responded. She handed the older man Kenzi's purse. "Her phone is inside there."

Bo settled Hale on a couch and grabbed a couple of beers from his fridge, popping the caps. She handed them out to the men before dropping into a plush chair. Hale dressed like a runway model, but his place was one giant man-cave – all comfort, no style.

Fitz was on the couch next to Hale, Kenzi's phone attached by cables to a laptop in his lap. "There is some kind of encryption on this phone, I'm going to need to break out heavy machinery to get anywhere with it." The man mumbled, pulling the cables out from the phone.

"Sure, I can take it back to her during lunch instead of the first thing in the morning. Would it give you enough time?" Hale asked after taking a long pull from the bottle, then placing it against a still tender spot on his shin.

"Yeah." Fitz put both devices back into his briefcase. "I'll unlock it and install in a location and calls tracker, then copy her photos, contacts, browsing history, the whole nine yards."

"Whoa, are we going a little too far? Is this even legal?" Hale turned toward the older man, letting go of his injured leg.

Bo and Fitz exchanged looks. "Maybe we are taking the spy games a bit far." Bo conceded. Fitz just shrugged. He was ok with this level of intrusion. "But," she continued, "a phone can be a treasure trove of information. Let's copy the contacts and pictures, but don't install anything."

"You're the boss, boss." Fritz agreed, taking a sip from his beer. "A friendly warning, before you head out to the messenger service to return the purse. I pulled the records for the people who run it and found a few misdemeanors for assault, drunk and disorderly, and public urination – nothing too scary, but still, these guys are not afraid to mix it up, if they feel like it, so don't get into their faces."

"That's encouraging." Hale mumbled.

"Any time you want to quit, you just let us know." Bo patted Hale's knee affectionately. "This is where I leave you, gentlemen. It's a school night, and I have a date tomorrow evening – need to look my best and be fully rested!" She got up and put her put her empty beer bottle on the counter for Hale's housekeeper do deal with.

"I'll be in touch." Fitz told Bo, then went to the fridge for another round, after Hale waved his empty bottle at him.

Bo chuckled as she closed the door behind her, deciding to put the 'operation Kenzi' on hold for a day in favor of her own plans. Maybe Hale will surprise them all and get the girl to go out with him on his own. And if not, he could use a day to heal his shin and his pride.


End file.
